A new study released by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) indicated that adults in U.S. are not getting enough rest each night, according media reports Friday.
Caffeine is a staple in office break rooms across the nation, pepping up adults who slog through their days feeling drowsy and tired.
Of those questioned, 70 percent said they had not gotten enough rest or sleep every day of the past month.
The study, which surveyed adults in Delaware, Hawaii, New York and Rhode Island, found that a lack of sleep is a particular problem for younger adults.
Of those between 18 and 34, 13.3 percent lacked enough sleep every day, compared to 7.3 percent of adults over 55.
However, the study did not find much difference between races or genders.
The National Sleep Foundation says that most adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night.
An estimated 50 to 70 million people suffer from constant sleep loss or sleep disorders, according to CDC, though people often do not understand that lack of sleep can cause health problems.
But there is some good news: retirement is apparently good for your sleep habits. The CDC found that those who are no longer working are twice as likely to report that they get a full night's sleep.
Sleep patterns can be influenced by what kinds of jobs people have, and even where they live.
Those who lived in Hawaii apparently got more sleep than their counterparts in the other three states studied, the study found.
Lifestyle choices, such as late-night television watching, Internet surfing, or caffeine and other stimulant intake, can also affect sleep patterns, the stuy said.
(Agencies via Xinhua News Agency February 29, 2008)